Last year, Meta made headlines by teaming up with Lufthansa, the German airline, to offer Quest 3 headsets to their travelers. Thanks to its apparent success, Meta now has its sights set on expanding its in-flight XR entertainment experience to more airlines.
Meta previously launched the much-anticipated Travel Mode, a feature available to those with Quest 2 headsets and above. Its purpose is to counteract the motion discrepancy that VR users typically face while traveling by air, sea, or land.
In June, building on the success of Travel Mode, Meta kicked off an innovative pilot program for Lufthansa passengers. Select flights offered the chance for passengers in the Allegris Business Class Suite to use a Quest 3 headset. This allowed users to enjoy watching movies and TV on virtual screens, engaging with spatial videos, diving into select 360-degree videos, practicing guided meditation, and even indulging in games like Connect Four and chess—turning the luxury travel experience up a notch.
The program’s success is evident, with nearly 4,000 travelers having experienced Quest 3’s in-flight entertainment. It’s no wonder Meta is eagerly looking to partner with more airlines to offer this unique service. “This activation is a milestone in our journey with Travel Mode and immersive services,” said Sarah Malkin, Meta’s Director of Entertainment Content at Reality Labs. “Our goal now is to broaden the availability to more airlines and enhance our product suite.”
While exact new airline partners remain under wraps, it’s anticipated that Quest 3 will remain a feature exclusive to Business and First Class. After all, these classes are known for their premium offerings such as lay-flat seats, noise-cancelling headphones, gourmet meals, and high-end beverages.
Using XR technology in flights isn’t a new concept. Back in 2015, Australia’s Qantas was among the pioneers, experimenting with Samsung Gear VR for first class passengers. Following them, airlines like Air France, Iberia, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines also ran VR headset trials, though these have since ended. However, Meta’s current efforts may just usher in a new era of in-flight entertainment.
